For more information, contact Communications Manager Jennifer Williams at 417.895.7713 or Taylor Brune at 573.522.3796.
For immediate release: Nov. 13, 2019
MEDIA ADVISORY
First Lady, MoDOT Teaming Up to Urge Drivers to Move Over
Teresa Parson to share her personal experience during National Traffic Incident Response Awareness Week
SPRINGFIELD – First Lady Teresa Parson is joining the Missouri Department of Transportation Thursday to stress the importance of moving over for responders working along the highway. First Lady Parson lost her brother Rick, an emergency responder, in 2005 when a passing motorist struck and killed him as he loaded a crash victim into an ambulance.
To bring awareness to these dangers and the Move Over law, the Federal Highway Administration has declared the week of Nov. 10-16 as National Traffic Incident Response Awareness Week. Missouri law requires drivers to either change lanes or slow down when approaching stationary emergency vehicles with flashing lights.
A news conference with the First Lady will take place Thursday, following MoDOT’s Southwest District’s full-scale Traffic Incident Management exercise. The exercise--featuring collaboration between MoDOT, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Office of Emergency Management, the National Weather Service, local law enforcement, EMS and the towing industry--will begin at 2 p.m. at the Springfield-Branson National Airport in Springfield. The news conference is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. in the Airport Boardroom. The public is invited to attend both events.
WHAT: National Traffic Incident Response Awareness Week statewide media event
WHEN: 3:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 14
(Following the Southwest District’s full-scale Traffic Incident Management exercise beginning at 1:30 p.m.)
WHO: First Lady Teresa Parson
Captain Rocky Seiner, Christian County Sheriff’s Office
Patrick McKenna, MoDOT Director
Nicole Hood, MoDOT State Highway Safety and Traffic Engineer
Capt. John Hotz, Missouri State Highway Patrol
Roy Cota, MoDOT Incident Response
WHERE: Springfield-Branson National Airport: Boardroom
2300 North Airport Blvd., Springfield, MO
WHY: To raise awareness about the dangers of traffic incident response and the importance of Missouri’s Move Over law.
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